Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Meet the five-year-old boy who has become an Instagram style icon thanks to his high fashion selfies

Alonso Mateo has become an internet style icon after posting photos of his high fashion looks on Instagram
The offspring of the Jolie Pitts, the Burberry-loving Beckham brood and mini clothes horse Suri Cruise get a lot of attention for their designer wardrobes. But there is one tween that blows all other mini-mes out of the water. And there's not a celebrity parent in sight. Five year old Alonso Mateo is very likely the most stylish child the world has ever - and very possibly will ever - encounter. He is all drop crotch pants, dark glasses and Tom Ford pocket squares. And he has 2,500 followers on Instagram, where he shares his catwalk-ready looks with his fans. In each photo he strikes a confident pose, hand in pocket, gazing off into the distance. The photographs are straight off the fashion pages of Esquire - micro fashion shoots set up on location with palm trees, swimming pool and obligatory dog - dotted with a fair few selfies taken with his iPhone in front of the mirror.
Looking at his mother, an equally stylish figure with a penchant for Givenchy and Chanel, it is easy to see where he gets his élan. Luisa Fernanda Espinosa is a freelancer fashion stylist who posts her son's pictures to her own Instagram, where she has 127,000 followers, before they appear on his. In her line of work she is able to track down the latest looks for Alonso.
According to The Cut, she snapped up his favourite All Saints boots in multiple sizes before they discontinued their children's line. She and Alonso also love Gucci and Dior, Stella McCartney, Little Marc Jacobs and Dolce & Gabbana. Alonso's styling is his own doing, though Ms Espinosa says she will sometimes steer him in the right direction if something he chooses doesn't quite work, or is inappropriate for the weather. And when they step outside, his fans often take his picture, although Ms Espinosa says her son will sometimes decline if he is too tired. The pair's shared a love of fashion has allowed Ms Espinosa to bond with her son, and she says she relishes the opportunity to shop together. And Ms Espinosa's work for magazines like Harpers Bazaar and Alonso's father's income as owner and CEO of a private equity firm allow the family, originally from Monterrey, Mexico but living in Laguna Beach, sufficient funds to support their shared hobby. Speaking in an interview with Joy Loves Fashion she said her son's favourite things to wear are 'combat boots and sunglasses' and that his recent obsession with bowties saw him going shopping to snap up all the prints that caught his eye. 'We had fun [shopping] together because it was my excuse to go the mall one more time,' she said. 
Some internet users have criticised the Espinosa family for encouraging their son, who has an iPod and an iPad which he uses to produce his own shoots, to be materialistic. They say that for a young boy, he cares too much about his image. 
But Espinosa is defiant. 'People usually judge right away,' she tells The Cut. 

'When we go shopping, if he wants loafers just like his daddy and I can afford them, I get them. We’re fine raising our son. He’s always polite, he’s grounded, he’s a sweet boy. ''I don’t think he really notices he’s fashion forward. He’s too young.'
Alonso favours drop-crotch pants and always styles his outfits up with plenty of accessoriesHis nonchalant poses and photoshoot settings have earned him legions of fans online
Many of Alonso's photos are selfies taken in the mirror with an iPhone
Alonso styles and produces the shoots himself, says his mother
Many of the shoots take place in and around Laguna Beach, California, where the family live after relocating from Monterrey, Mexico, two years ago
Alonso loves shopping - a hobby he shares with his mother Luisa. His recent obsession with bowties saw the two hit the mall hunting for prints he liked
Alonso loves his Ray-Ban aviators, although the five-year-old sometimes mixes it up with shades by Dior or Tom Ford

Alonso's mother has defended her son's passion for fashion - and her spending on the designer clothes - saying they can afford it - and that he is 'too young to know he is fashion forward'Alonso wearing a Gucci belt, mini tailored jacket and designer pocket square
Alonso with his mother, freelance fashion stylist Luisa Fernanda Espinosa, who works for Harpers Bazaar among other titles

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